Waning
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: Sofia has been running herself ragged trying to help everyone and be there for everybody, and it's wearing her down-so much so that she collapses during one of her lessons with Cedric. Concerned for her wellbeing, he has a serious talk with his apprentice.


Waning

Summary: Sofia has been running herself ragged trying to help everyone and be there for everybody, and it's wearing her down-so much so that she collapses during one of her lessons with Cedric. Concerned for her wellbeing, he has a serious talk with his apprentice.

Disclaimer: I don't own the show!

A/N: I think we've all gotten to that point where we've literally worn ourselves out trying to do everything at once or tend to things that could have easily been put off until later. I know I have. It stresses us and becomes utterly exhausting. Well, Sofia is no exception. In fact, of the three Enchancian kids, I would definitely expect her to experience something like this first (although I did have a previous story where _Amber_ collapsed from exhaustion…but I digress! Lol). Enjoy!

*Story*

It had been a rather busy week for Sofia. She'd volunteered to help organize the Dunwiddie Ducks bake sale, which went over quite well. She had also tutored a few Royal Prep students in sorcery class in preparation for their test. From what she heard, both of them had passed. She, Amber, and James had planned and successfully thrown a party for Baileywick's birthday; the steward had been so grateful and so unsuspecting that it had truly touched them all. And amid all of this included daily activities: school in general, extracurricular activities, music lessons, magic lessons, spending time with Clover and Vivian (and Crackle for that matter), castle chores, flying derby activities, family time, and so much more. And now?

Sofia stumbled a bit as she followed the familiar path that led to Cedric's tower. While he had indicated that she didn't _have_ to visit him for lessons if she was too busy, she wouldn't dream of passing up a chance to work with her friend. Ever since the whole Grimtrix-influencing-Cedric-to-take-over-Enchancia ordeal, she'd made sure to spend a bit more time with him to be something of a positive reinforcement for her favorite sorcerer after he had apologized for his actions. It wasn't necessarily that she feared his regression. She just wanted to prove that what he'd feared wasn't true: he _was_ appreciated and he _was_ sensational. And if she was the one to do it, so be it. That's what friends did.

She approached the cobblestone stairs and stared up at the winding path in dismay. One shaky hand caressed the wall, her fingers flinching slightly at the cold surface beneath. "I can do this," she murmured to herself, trying to stay positive and motivated. It was nowhere near nighttime yet, so she needed to carry on with her day as normally as she could…despite the fact that her body was screaming at her to take a break. She mentally shrugged it off. Rest could wait.

Finally finding some strength, the princess managed to hoist herself up the flight of stairs before arriving at the very top. She leaned against the familiar wooden door, her breathing somewhat labored now. Her vision was growing slightly blurry, but a few shakes of her head seemed to will the trouble away.

After composing herself by fluffing out her hair and smoothing down the two-toned dress, she lifted her hand and knocked.

"Come in, Sofia," Cedric's amused voice called through the wood.

She smiled despite her tiredness and walked inside, shutting the door behind her as she gazed at the sight before her. "What are you two doing?" she asked as she approached the table where Cedric and Wormwood were sitting with a chess board.

"I'm practicing for an upcoming tournament," Cedric told her as he moved a piece on the board. "My father invited me to attend, so I figured I should brush up on my skills."

Wormwood looked at the board before smirking at Cedric. "Really, Cedric?"

The sorcerer blinked in confusion. "What?"

The bird grasped his piece in his talon and moved it to its final destination. "Checkmate."

"Ugh, not again!" Cedric glowered at his snickering companion as he scooped the pieces into a wooden box. "How on earth does a _raven_ become a chess master?"

"Well, since you like to spend your days playing 'Mr. Cedric, the Magic Man,' I have to occupy my time somehow."

Sofia giggled at the interaction as she leaned against the table. "Did you win any games, Mr. Cedric?"

"Not a single one," Wormwood responded for his friend with a chortle. "Ten games, Princess! _Ten_!"

"All right, Wormy," Cedric snapped as he stored the chess game away. "She gets it. Cedric—zero. Wormwood—ten. Fear not, we'll play again." He and the raven both turned to Sofia when she started laughing for seemingly no reason. Cedric blinked at her. "Sofia? What's so funny?"

"Unintentional rhyming," she responded with a tired giggle. She collected herself and smiled sleepily at him. "I'm sorry, Mr. Cedric. I think I'm just tired."

"Well, worry not. Our lesson will be relatively short today, because I have a rather tricky potion I'm in the process of creating." He opened his cabinet and withdrew her wand, passing it over to her. "Now, I don't know about you, but I feel it's time we revisited defensive spells, especially with recent events."

She noticed the somber look on his face and nodded. "Against Grimtrix," she confirmed. "I think you're right, Mr. Cedric. I need to be able to defend myself against him…"

"Glad you agree. All right, wand at the ready!"

A few minutes into the lesson, and Cedric was already noticing something wasn't quite right with his apprentice. She seemed a little out of it—woozy even. She'd tripped over her own foot at one point, and she had even accidentally sent the wand flying at Wormwood, who hadn't responded all that kindly to the situation. Still, she had insisted she could carry on.

"Okay, plant your feet firmly on the ground," Cedric told the girl as she did as she was instructed. "Good. Keep a firm grip on your wand."

"Yes, _please_ ," Wormwood drawled sarcastically. "Some of us would like to keep our feathers, thank you."

Sofia smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that, Wormwood…" She closed her eyes briefly before blinking them open slowly. She shook her head once. "Mm."

"Okay, now repeat the spell I taught you," Cedric told her, missing the subtle actions of the princess.

" _D-De…armo_ ," she murmured before her wand fell from her hand and clattered to the stone floor.

"Sofia, what are you-? Whoa!" Thinking fast, Cedric quickly rushed toward her, catching her before she could collapse to the hard floor. "Sofia? Sofia, talk to me."

"What's the matter with her?" the raven asked curiously, seemingly genuinely concerned. Sofia wasn't one to just go around collapsing…well, most of the time.

"I don't know." Cedric gently patted the girl's cheek, stirring her from her brief slumber. "Sofia, wake up. Come on."

Sofia gazed at her friend, her blue eyes not quite focusing on his familiar features. She frowned in confusion. "What happened?"

"You collapsed. You could have told me you weren't feeling well, and we could have skipped the lesson altogether."

The princess sighed before resting her head against the warmth of his robe. "I'm sorry, Mr. Cedric…" Her strength seemingly completely gone, she closed her eyes and fell asleep again.

"Sofia?" Cedric sighed as he realized the girl wasn't easily going to wake up this time. He held her closer before standing up. "She must be exhausted…"

"What was your first clue?" Wormwood snarked as he shook his head. "You can't honestly be surprised. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Just look at the girl's daily and weekly schedule here recently. I'm surprised she made it up the stairs."

"I should have realized…" He sighed. "I'm going to let her sleep in my room for a while. I'll be back presently." That said, he left for his bedroom with the sleeping girl still clutching onto his robe for comfort.

The raven sighed and shook his head before taking off out the open window to stretch his wings for a while.

Cedric placed Sofia down on the bed and drew the covers over her as her head rested against one of his numerous purple pillows. His bedroom in particular was a bit warmer than the workshop, so she wouldn't wake up shivering and disoriented. He removed the girl's tiara and placed it on his bedside table so that she could sleep more comfortably. He smiled lightly when she murmured in her sleep, a small smile ghosting across her face. "Sleep well, Sofia," he whispered as he gently held one hand to the back of her head momentarily before leaving the room to allow her to rest.

About an hour later, Sofia sat up and looked around the darkened room. There was still a small filter of light streaming in from the window so that she could make out the outlines of Cedric's room, and she blinked in confusion. What was she doing in here? Where was her mentor? She reached up to her head when she realized her hair was falling around her face instead of being pinned back as usual. Where was her _tiara_?

Sofia glanced to the small table next to her and sighed in relief. She grabbed the tiara and arranged her hair into its usual fashion before replacing the tiara on her head. She pushed the covers aside and stood, feeling less groggy than earlier and seemingly able to focus a bit better. "I must have fallen asleep?" she guessed uncertainly as she held a hand to her head. "But how did I end up in here?"

Shrugging, she stepped forward and opened the door, exiting from her friend's bedroom and walking back to the workshop. She smiled guiltily when she saw Cedric sitting at his table and reading what she assumed was a sorcery-related book. "Mr. Cedric?" she asked quietly.

Cedric glanced up and smiled lightly, beckoning her forward. "Sleep well?" he asked as she sat down on her stool.

"I, um… I don't know what happened. The last thing I remember was that we were practicing a defense spell, and I have no memories after that."

"You collapsed on me," he explained with a curious frown. "You don't seem to be sick, so I can only venture one guess: you're exhausted."

"Exhausted?"

"Sofia, I'm not ignorant of the fact that you have a full plate as a princess. You're constantly barraged with royal duties and expectations. You have school work and obligations. You somehow manage to fit in lessons and quality time with me and all of your friends. But I've noticed you've been rather busier than usual…" He gestured toward the Enchantlet on her wrist, which she noticed and hid behind her back with a sheepish look. "I'm not even going to ask about these new adventures of yours, but I can tell they're taking quite a bit of your energy. If you keep going at this rate, I'm afraid you're going to get seriously hurt."

She sighed. She hadn't told him the full extent of her time spent in the Mystic Isles yet… She was building up to it, but there was still so much mystery and secrecy surrounding it that she wasn't sure _what_ she could tell him. Even Amber knew more than he did, and that was only because she'd insisted on accompanying her. Still, that had made for a better bonding experience between the two sisters. Yet right now, she knew things were still somewhat new for her, and she didn't want to risk saying too much, even to him. "I know… I know I've been a bit preoccupied lately, and I'm really trying to manage my time and everything, but it gets a bit…overwhelming I guess."

"I've noticed." Cedric shut his book and leaned forward toward his apprentice. "Just promise me you will try to simplify your days, at least a little bit. If it means cancelling time spent here, then so be it. I won't have my apprentice collapsing on me every time she's got a wand in her hand. It's dangerous."

Sofia smiled at his concern. "I have no plans to cancel our time together, Mr. Cedric… I'd miss you too much." She giggled as he chuckled. "But I will get some more rest and try to manage my time better. I'm just glad it was you who helped me. If it had been Baileywick, I'd be in quarantine with a thermometer dangling from my mouth."

Cedric laughed. "I could actually see that, unfortunately. Yes, certainly don't go fainting on him." He withdrew his wand and twirled it a few times. "Well, it's up to you. Would you like to try your defense lesson again, or would you rather wait until you're feeling one hundred percent?"

She grinned. "I have a better idea," she suggested as Wormwood returned, flying in through the window.

"Well, well, well," Wormwood teased several minutes later as he and Cedric were locked in yet another chess game. "It doesn't matter what moves you make now, Cedric. You might as well surrender now so we don't have to prolong your agony of defeat."

Sofia smiled secretively toward Cedric and nudged him gently, gesturing toward a piece on the board.

"Ah." The sorcerer smirked and grabbed the piece. "I wouldn't start celebrating so soon, Wormy." With that said, he moved his piece and smiled triumphantly as the bird's beak dropped. "Checkmate."

"How did…? Where did?" He glowered at the princess. "You set him up to win, didn't you?"

"I did no such thing," she countered with a satisfied smile as she folded her arms. "I just pointed out something that could help him—sort of as a way to return the favor." She smiled sweetly toward Cedric, who hummed in appreciation.

"Whatever," Wormwood relented with a roll of his eyes. "So he won one game. Big deal. You still have numerous to go if you want to match my score." He grinned challengingly at his master.

"I'll accept your challenge, Wormy, at a later date. Right now, the princess and I are due for a game of checkers."

The raven cawed in return and flew off as Sofia retrieved the checkerboard from his closet.

Cedric slid the chessboard aside while Sofia placed the checkerboard between them. "Ready, Sofia?"

The princess giggled as she set up their pieces. "I'm always ready, Mr. Cedric." She smiled appreciatively at him. "Mr. Cedric? Thanks for everything today."

He nodded and returned the smile. "Any time, Sofia."

The end


End file.
